


All Heart and Beskar

by spacedaddymando



Series: All Heart and Beskar [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Minor Violence, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:29:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacedaddymando/pseuds/spacedaddymando
Summary: A bounty hunter turned bounty, you find yourself as the assistant to one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy, and his little green child with big ears.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin & Reader, Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Series: All Heart and Beskar [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074251
Comments: 1
Kudos: 53





	1. Back Alley Introductions

You docked in Canto Bight, a bustling casino city on the edge of the Sea of Cantonica. The bright lights were visible through the cloudy atmosphere as you landed your ship. Dry desert stretched as far as the eye could see outside of the city border. It was early evening, the sun was just setting over the west horizon. 

Once landed and off the ship, you were met with an eager bay mechanic. A young lad who’s excitement at your ship was causing him to bounce around.  
“I’ve never seen a hwk290!” He cried. “And in mint condition!” You smiled at him. “If I had the money I’d buy it off you!” 

“Haha well unfortunately she’s not for sale. But I need you to check the hyperdrive. It’s slowed.” You grinned and handed him the control panel to the ship's security. “Press here to lock and here for security. I’ll be back by the morning.”  
He nodded, and ran around to the door. You could hear him excitedly explaining the ship to his silent pit droid. 

You step out of the bay onto the busy street, people milled around everywhere, music and chattering filled your ears. You pulled your hood up over your head, shrouding your face in darkness. It was normal for people to wear hoods on Cantonica. The dusty planet sported high winds that would blow sand through the streets. You kept close to the crowd edges, passing cantinas filled with people and creatures. The air was warm and smelt like food, smoke, and….and Sewage. You wrinkle your nose. 

You skulked around the Main Street, waiting for the puck to beep. It was still flashing so you knew the quarry was still alive. Your hands rested on the hilt of your knives strapped to your thighs. Again it wasn’t bizarre to see blasters and knives casually strapped to people. If anything the culture of always being armed made bounty hunting just that bit easier. You glanced up to the towering buildings either side, towards the small strip of night sky. Thousands of stars glitter through the planet's dusty atmosphere. 

Beep! Adrenaline courses through you at the sound. He’s close. You duck into a side alley, and unsheath your knives. You grasp the hilt and rest the flat edge of the blade underneath your forearm. Stepping back out into the bright street you moved towards the centre of the street, weaving in between people, head up surveying the area. The puck beeping softly. Closer. 

A glint of silver hits your peripheral vision. You twist trying to see where it came from. Nothing is there when you turn round. The puck stops beeping. You curse. Turning around completely you begin to walk back up the street, the puck starts beeping again. So he’s here somewhere. You look up, balconies full of people fill your vision. You scan the area. There again! Another flash of silver. You twist, standing in the middle of the street. 

That’s when you see him. 

Standing taller than most in the crowd, silver beskar glinting in the casino light. You freeze, unsure of whether he’s noticed you or not. 

You slip out of the main body of the crowd, quickly darting down a side street. It’s empty, the noise of the street fading slightly. You keep your back pressed against the wall of the building. If he’s seen you, he’ll follow. 

The Mandalorian appeared at the top of the alley. Head scanning the area. You watched with a bated breath as he walked down towards you. You pressed closer to the wall. When the Mandalorian had passed you, you snuck out, knives poised and ready. 

“What are you doing here.” you hiss. He stops and turns slowly to face you. You thought you recognised the helmet, it looked familiar. 

The Mandalorian stays quiet. 

“I asked a question.” The Mandalorian stepped towards you, you don’t lower the knives. 

“We’re both chasing the same quarry. Greef told me I’d find you.” Ah so that’s where you knew him from. The Guild. “It’ll be easier if we work together.” You furrow your brows. 

“I didn’t realise you were looking for a partner Mando.” 

“I’m not.” He pauses. “But I think we need to work together. Split the bounty.” 

You scoff. “I don’t even know you. How can I trust you?” It's an honest question. You knew of his reputation but you also thought he worked alone. 

He reached up. You tensed waiting to see where his hand went next. It curled around to a puck strapped to his chest. He flicked it over, red light blinking rapidly, the beep was faint but you identified it as the noise it makes when the holder finds it’s target. You blinked, Mando pressed a button. 

A hologram of you appeared. You blinked, mouth open in shock. Your blood felt cold, and your stomach felt like it had dropped. So this is what it feels like. 

“I won’t turn you in. Is that a reason?” The voice was clipped. 

“Why is there a bounty after me?” Your voice was wavering, scared. 

“Why is there a bounty after anyone?” You stared at him. Blades still drawn. He still held the puck out. Every inch of you wanted to destroy it but you knew better. If you did it would send an alert. 

“Did Greef give you this?” You swallowed. You thought you were friends… business partners at least. The guild was supposed to offer some protection against bounties. 

“No. I got it off an assassin who had been trailing you since before Nevarro.” 

You blinked up at him. His dark visor was watching you. “But why help me? You don’t know me.” 

The Mandalorian stayed quiet. You figured you wouldn’t get an answer so you ask another question. 

“Are they still after me?” 

“I have reason to believe so.” 

“What can I do?” 

“Help me with this bounty. Then we’ll discuss.” 

“Where do you want to start?” But the Mandalorian was already moving past you. You ran to catch up, taking two strides for everyone one of his. At the top of the alley he motioned for you to wait. Mando passed you an ear comms unit. You put it in. Fixing your hood so it covers your face again, hiding the comms unit. 

“Can you hear me? Don’t speak. Nod.” His voice was rich and deep in your ear. You nodded slowly. “Good. Wait for my signal.”

“What’s yo-....” -ur signal. But Mando had already vanished into the crowd without answering. How did he just disappear?! 

You walk back into the crowd, melting away with the movement of the city. Your heart rate is still high, you can hear the blood rushing in your ears. You’re being hunted. You feel sick. You carry on walking, knives still gripped tight in your hand. You sheathed them quickly, better not draw any unwanted attention to yourself. 

“X Bar…” the voice crackles through the comms unit. You stop and scan the area. The bar is just up ahead on the left. 

“Got it.” 

“Get round back. Cover the area.” You sound an agreement as you slip down an alley. Turning to make sure no one saw. You cling to the wall, shadows concealing you. The alley is quiet. 

What if this is a trap? Can you trust the Mandalorian?  
Why is he helping you? Why hasn’t he killed you for the money? 

You crouch in the shadows, eyes trained on the back entrance.

“I’m here.” You whisper into the comms. Mando doesn’t reply.

You try to slow your breathing. He’s helping you. He’s helping you. He’s helping y-.... Your mantra is cut off as a crash sounds from the back door. 

A wiry man slipped out of the back door. You could hear a crackling through the comms unit, and barely made out the words “back….door….” 

You spring into action, slipping quietly out of the shadows. The man is running away from you. You move silently behind him. He’s slipping through the back alleys, twisting and turning. His movements are jerky and uncoordinated. Drunkard. 

He stops, and you slip back into the shadows. The sounds of other drunk patrons ring throughout the air. A crash of glass breaking eased the quarry's nerves and he continued on, this time walking. 

You manage to get up behind him. Padding softly until you were so close you could smell the alcohol on him. You flick one knife around his throat, the other pressing into his back. Easy target. 

“I suggest you don’t make a sound.” You hiss quietly. The man starts to twist around, you press the edge of the knife harder into his throat. “They want you alive, but I will drop you off dead.” 

The man stills for a second, before grabbing your arm, trying to remove the knife from your grasp. You allow some movement, he lets his guard down for a split second and you kick his legs from underneath him. He drops down and you drop onto him, straddling his waist, knife pointing into his jugular vein. The other knife pokes his side. 

“I suggest you don’t try that again.” You hiss, digging the blade into his side. The man is shaking, staring up at you with dark blue eyes. You won’t actually stab him. At least not yet…..

“Roll him over.” A gruff voice calls out above you. You twist. The Mandalorian is standing there, visor tipped down to look at you. Blood stains the beskar. He has a blaster pointed at the man's head. You roll off the man, and he rolls over, subdued now the Mandalorian is here. 

Mando leans down and cuffs him before dragging him onto his feet. You jump up. Knives sheathed in their holders. “Follow me.” Mando says, before marching the man down the alleys towards the docking bays. 

You slip into the shadows again following behind the Mandalorian, listening to the man beg and plead for Mando to reconsider. Mando stays quiet. 

The alleys are darker on this side of town, there’s barely any light filtering down from the Main Street. You can hear whispered voices in the darkened doorways. Mando’s armour glints in what little light there is. The bounty is loud, pleading for his life. You clutch the hilts of your knives again. Somethings wrong. You can sense it. Mando turned onto a brighter alley towards the Main Street. 

A soft thud up ahead has you unsheathing your knives, still hidden in the darkness of the shadows. A man steps out of a door, his back is facing you. You can see from his posture he is holding a gun. Mando hasn’t noticed, the bounty is struggling, failing his arms around and kicking his legs out.

You rush forward, a blaster shot ringing out. You see Mando recoil with shock. Helmet twisting to see where the shot came from. 

All Mando see’s when he finds the culprit is a body slumping to the ground, a knife sticking out of their back. You stand behind their fallen body, hood over your face obscuring your expression. He watches you tug the blade out of the man's back. You roll him over, his head lolling to the side. The bounty is suddenly silent. Any hope of escape thwarted. 

Mando watches behind his Beskar helmet as you slit the man's throat, and rifle through his pockets. When you find nothing you stand up, wiping your knife on his jacket, clearing the blood off it. 

“Let’s go.” You step over the dead man's body. Mando lets out a rush of air. Roughly he tugs the quarry up and starts to march back to the ship. He can sense you’ve slipped back into the shadows. Watching and guarding his back. 

The docking bays appear in view, everyone in the street moves out of the way for the blood covered Mandalorian marching a prisoner in front of him. Mando pulls up next to Bay 54, the door slides open. 

You visibly relax, knives sheathed back on your thighs. You step into the bay behind him. A behemoth of a ship greets you. All dark and twisted metal with twin thrusters. 

“Nice ship Mando.” He grunts in acknowledgment, mind preoccupied with the task at hand. He opens the hull of the ship with a button on his sleeve, the ramp slamming down with a thump. He drags the quarry up, and you wait sheepishly at the bottom suddenly unsure of if he needs you to follow. 

You can hear the quarry screaming and pleading, and then the hiss of a carbonite machine. Then silence. 

You sit on the edge of the ramp. You felt flat. The adrenaline that had coursed through you all night was fading, tiredness washing over you. 

A small coo sounded from behind you. You twisted to see a little green creature tottering towards you on unstable feet. You knelt down to greet it. 

“Hey there little fella!” The kid held his little hands out, you reached down and scooped him up. The kid giggled, eyes looking up at you. 

“I’m sorry. I turned around and he was gone.” Came a voice from the top of the ramp. 

“It’s no worries.” You stroked the top of the kids head. “He’s very cute.” 

The Mandalorian watched you interact. You were aware of the feeling of eyes on you, and when you looked up the beskar helmet was watching you intently. The Mandalorian held his arms out and you placed the baby back in his arms. 

“You are still in danger.” The gruff voice announced. You nodded solemnly. 

“What can I do?”. You slipped the comms unit out of your ear and handed it back to the Mandalorian. He tucked it away. “Can I outrun them?”

He shook his head. “No. They’ll just keep sending people after you.” 

“Who are they?” 

“I don’t know. But they’re rich enough to keep sending assassins.” 

You groaned. What could you do? You can’t run across the galaxy forever… 

“You can fake your death.” The metallic voice broke your train of thought. He paused as if carefully considering his next words. “You can help me and help look after the child.” 

You didn’t say a word, you just raised an eyebrow at him. Stay with the Mandalorian? 

“You have until sunrise to decide. I leave then.”

He turned to step back into the hull. 

“Wait!” He stops but doesn’t turn round. “What about my ship?” 

“Sell it, and we’ll discuss the arrangements tomorrow.” And with that he disappeared into the hull. You stepped off the ramp, the flat feeling being replaced with a feeling of dread. 

Your decision, as it turned out, was made for you. 

You could smell the fire before you saw it. The sharp smell of jet fuel burning was unmistakable. The fire sirens wailing out, and flashing lights lined your path back to your bay. Instinctively you knew whose ship was burning. 

You sprinted to the door of your bay. You didn’t get a chance to step in before you felt the heat. You stared in shock. Your ship was in flames. A giant blazing ball of heat. You let out a half choked sob. The fire crackled and popped, metal burning and wires melting inside. The smell of burning fuel singed your nose hairs, burning your eyes, and throat. The fire brigade pushes past you, trailing a hose. They dowsed your ship with foam, as you watched in horror as the blackened nose of your ship came into view. Everything was destroyed. You felt tears prickle in your eyes, from the heat or sadness you weren’t sure. 

You swallowed. Slowly backing away from the hellish scene of your life burning in front of you. You slid to the floor, your heart sinking. My whole life is gone. All my possessions. You slam your fist into the dust. Why?

Who? Was your next question. With nowhere to go you went to find the only familiar face (or rather helmet) on this giant dusty planet. The walk back to Bay 23 was cut short when you collided with a rather solid metal chest. 

“I saw the smoke.” He muttered. You stared up at him, eyes wet with tears. You let out a sob. Mando stayed still as you cried into his beskar armour. You were so distraught you didn’t really register the hand rubbing gently circles onto your back. 

“Come on. Let’s leave.” Mando’s voice was calm. You sniffed, and brushed your tears away with the back of your hand. 

You trudged behind him back to his ship, unaware of the tears streaming down your face. You didn’t feel like this was a choice. You felt like a caged animal being forced into a new pen. 

Mando showed you to the ‘fresher, indicating that you should wash. You stripped off, pulling the shower drapes around and stood under the warm spray rinsing the dust, dirt and soot off your body. Undoing the plaits in your hair you washed that too, borrowing the Mandalorians soap. 

Tears still escaped and you felt a sob well up in your chest. You let yourself sink to the floor of the fresher, crying in heaving gasps. You don’t know how long you sat on the floor, but the water was cold when you finally regained some composure. 

Stepping out you find a towel and some clothes folded neatly on a shelf. He must have heard you cry. And if you were honest, you didn’t care. You dried yourself and dressed, stepping out into the cold hull. The clothes were big, but soft and warm. 

The Mandalorian stood in the hull waiting for you, clutching the little green creature. He gestured to a cot in the wall. “Sleep.” He passed you a soft blanket, you took it gladly, and clambered into the cot. 

Wrapping the blanket around you, you curled up in a ball. The cot door slid shut, plunging you into darkness. When you closed your eyes images of your burning ship flashed in your mind. You felt the tears burn beneath your eyelids. You let out a half choked sob, curling up tighter into a ball. 

You don’t know how long you cried for, but at some point you finally drifted to sleep.


	2. Long Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mandalorian Glossary:
> 
> dar’manda - Not Mandalorian (used in this context that the character is no longer Mandalorian).  
> Udesii - Calm Down  
> Hut’uunla - Cowardly

Mando had apparently gone to check your ship the morning after and couldn’t salvage anything from the burnt wreckage of your ship. That news had made you cry more. You think you must have spent the first week crying in the uncomfortable cot in the ship before you convinced Mando to buy a mattress when docked in Nevarro. 

You’d been living with Mando and the kid for 4 months now. It had taken Mando a while to trust your partnership. A lone wolf for the majority of his career he was unsure of how it would work long term. Short term partnerships suited him better but there was something about watching you hunt the bounty that changed his mind. The two of you worked together seamlessly. 

You also took a while to fall into the Mandalorians routine, but once in it you never wanted to leave. Mando ran a tighter schedule of bounty hunting than you had. Early mornings and late nights with little rest time took a while to get used to. In the beginning you were asleep as soon as your head hit the thin pillow in the cot, exhaustion wearing you out. Mando however never seemed to feel the fatigue. A few hours here and there were enough to recharge the Mandalorian. 

You found yourself becoming more and more intrigued by the armoured man with whom you now lived. You’d catch small glimpses of skin, a sliver of wrist here or a peak of his neck there, but never more than that. Mando was stoic and guarded. His armour just added to that. By contrast you were the opposite, talkative and loud. Where Mando covered up, you relished in not having too. Often walking around in an old shirt of his and a pair of pants. Mando never made an indication that it bothered him, having you walk around half naked all the time, but you could never tell what he was thinking under that helmet. 

After a couple of weeks you noticed that the ship's heating stayed on for longer, and a warmer blanket had been purchased. So you figured that he didn’t mind, and maybe even enjoyed seeing you dress like that. You both slept on the same bed but in shifts, often you’d go first, while Mando would fly you away from whichever planet you were on before coming down to eat with you in the hull. 

Mando became more talkative as the days passed. His modulated voice became your favourite sound as he asked questions about your previous life as a solo bounty hunter over bowls of soup. Conversations were still brief but Mando would let you chat to him about anything and everything. 

Mando had taught you how to fly the ship after one of your hunts went wrong and Mando had to fly you into hyperspace whilst you held a bunched T-shirt to his rib cage to stop the bleeding. You had argued that you would have figured it out eventually as you did have a ship too once. Mando had held off originally as it was the one part of his life you hadn’t gotten into. The quiet hours away from you in the cockpit, whilst you slept, allowed him to get lost in his thoughts. 

Now the pair of you sat in the hull of the ship, the child asleep in the cot. Mando had been cleaning his blaster when you woke up, and you settled across from him to clean your knives. The silence between you was comforting, just the groans of the ship flying through hyperspace could be heard. 

Mando watched you polish your knives, visor fixed intently on your hands. You worked the cloth into the flat part of the blade, buffing out any smears or stains until it shone in the dim light of the hull. Mando sat with his arms resting on his knees, back pressed against the ship's wall. He looked relaxed, or at least the most relaxed you’d ever seen him look. 

“Where did you get them?” His voice broke the silence between you. 

“My uncle made them.” You placed the knife in your hand back in its leather sheath. You turned the sheathed knife in your hand, carefully checking the leather for any damage.

“What are they made from? I’ve never seen you sharpen them.” 

“Beskar.” 

Mando moved towards you, reaching across the hull to grab the knife that you hadn't got round to cleaning yet. Your eyes flickered up to watch him. He picked it up carefully, turning it over in his gloved hands. He paused, contemplating, holding it in front of his visor. He tapped it against the vambrace on his left sleeve, a sharp singing note rang out. “So it is.” 

You watched him, hand subconsciously tightening around the knife still in your possession. 

“Where did you get the beskar from?” 

“My Dad.” 

“And where did he get it?” Mando’s voice was level, but you knew his body language well enough by now to know he wasn’t feeling what his voice portrayed. His shoulders were stiff, and the grip he had on the knife was tight. 

You bit your lip, unsure of whether or not to give up this piece of information to Mando. Despite all this time, this felt too vulnerable to share. 

Before you could reply Mando spoke up. “Did he steal it?” His voice was accusatory. You snapped your eyes to his visor.

“He didn’t steal it.” You swallowed. “He died. My uncle made me them out of something he owned. Something that would be useful to me.” You looked away, fiddling with the knife in your hand. 

“That doesn’t answer where the beskar came from.” Mando leaned in, the soft light glinting off his helmet. He placed the knife down gently on the floor. “Tell me.” His voice was commanding, but softer than it had been.

“He..um.... was dar’manda.” You spoke softly. Mandalorians who had lost their way, their creed, weren’t favourably looked on by true mandalorians. “He lost his clan. They shunned him, but he kept his helmet and….when he died my uncle melted the beskar down into these knives for me.” 

“Why?” 

“Why did he get shunned?” Mando nodded. “He showed his face… to my mother. Before they got married. She saved his life. He didn’t want to live without her, and he couldn’t bring himself to kill her…. So he left.” Mando scoffed. 

“Hut’uunla.” Mando’s voice was low, his hands curled into fists. Your mandalorian was good enough to understand what he had called your father. Cowardly. 

Anger wells up in your chest. “He was not a coward.” You spit at him. “He couldn’t kill my mother because she was pregnant.” Angry tears burn your eyes, you unsheathe the knife slowly. Anger burned in your chest, white hot and red. You toyed with the knife between your hands, contemplating your odds against Mando. 

Mando watches you. He sat as still as a statue. He can feel the anger rolling off you, you had a wild look in your eye. You looked every bit the dangerous bounty hunter who he’d come to know. 

He raised his hands, palms open and towards you. “Udesii...calm down...I apologise. That was cruel of me.” You were still angry but you knew better than to try to fight Mando. Even with two beskar knives. 

“He wasn’t a coward, Mando. He risked his life over and over to protect us.” Your voice was quiet and thick with sadness. “He risked everything to save my mother.” 

“I am sorry….” Mando trailed off as you interrupted him, holding a finger up to stop him from talking.

“No you’re not. You reacted how any Mandalorian would. It is not the way.” Your tone was sharper. Of course Mando would have reacted like that. No Mandalorian abandons his clan. No Mandalorian shows their face. 

“Still he was your father.” Mando sat back against the wall, legs stretched in front of him. He crossed his arms across his chest. Silence washes over the ship again. 

You start to vigorously clean the other knife, wiping the cloth up and down the blade in fast but rhythmic strokes. Usually this process would help calm you down, help to erase any stress but not this time. You could see a slither of your reflection in the blade, your eyes were glassy with angry tears and your cheeks looked flushed. You chewed on your bottom lip. You blinked back the tears in your eyes, refusing to cry anymore in front of Mando. 

“How much Mando’a do you know?” His gruff voice broke the silence again. 

“A small amount.” You forced yourself to meet the emotionless gaze of the visor. You wished you could see his face. “My dad only ever used it in small phrases.” Mando nodded. 

“How did he die?”

“He was a rebel fighter. From Alderaan.” You took a deep breath. “He got killed in the clone wars.” Mando stayed silent for a moment, helmet slightly tilted to one side.

“And your mother?”

“Dead.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. She was ill. Nothing could help her.” You smiled weakly. “She was a wonderful woman but I’m glad she is no longer suffering.”

“The rest of your family?”

“Dead. They were killed when Alderaan was destroyed. My mother and I had left to find a healer.” You huffed out a short, callous, laugh. “Some tragic backstory huh? What about you Mando?”

“Parents dead. I was saved by Mandalorians. I became a foundling and now I’m here.” His answer was abrupt and emotionless.

“We’re more alike than I thought.” You smiled sadly at Mando. The angry tension between you both faded. Mando’s shoulders visibly relaxed as you placed the other knife back in it's sheath. You waited a bit before asking him another question. “Have you ever taken your helmet off?”

“Never.” His reply was short, not cold, but short enough to signal he didn’t want to discuss further. He got up, armour chinking softly. “Get ready. We’ll be landing in an hour.” 

You went to get up, legs buzzing from lack of use, and you staggered forward. Mando steadied you, his gloved hand was warm through the sleeves of your top. You blushed, a different kind of warmth spread through you. “Oh...thanks.” He nodded but didn’t release his grip on your arm.

The ship jolted, dropping out of hyperspace, catching you off guard. You fell into Mando’s chest. You braced your hands against his beskar chest plate. His hands moved to hold the tops of your arms. You looked up at him, craning your neck to meet his visor. Neither of you went to move, choosing to stand still watching each other. One with wide eyes, the other hidden behind a mask. Your heart was beating fast, butterflies fluttering in your stomach. 

“I really am sorry about your father, and your mother. I shouldn’t have said those things.” Mando’s voice was soft and quiet. You two were so close you could just make out the baritone of his actual voice. You felt something tug deep inside you. Oh maker. 

“It’s okay.” Your voice was a breathy whisper. Your cheeks felt hot under the unwavering stare of the visor. “I… uh…” you trailed off, unsure of where you wanted to take that sentence. 

Mando cocked his head to one side. You were sure he was studying your face. Again you wished you could see past the helmet. 

Mando moved one of his hands, slowly sliding it up your neck. You held your breath, not wanting to move an inch and break the spell. The warm leather of his glove stroked across your skin sending shivers down your spine. Mando let his hand tangle in the hair at the nape of your neck, softly tugging. You let out a small gasp. Mando lowered his head slowly toward you. 

The cool beskar of the helmet is what you registered first. It was icy compared to your flushed skin. You jumped slightly, before relaxing. A Keldabe kiss. You closed your eyes, and allowed yourself to lean into him. You let out a shaky breath. You lifted one of your hands from his chest and rested it gently against the side of his helmet. You opened your eyes and stared into the darkness of the visor. You wanted to see his eyes. You wanted to see him. 

The touch was innocent enough. No more than a friendly Mandalorian greeting, but it was so much more than that for you. You never wanted to move. Mando’s thumb was stroking up and down the side of your neck, coaxing the muscles to relax. 

Mando moved first. Lifting his head and moving his hand from the back of your neck to cup your cheek. He softly ran his thumb over your cheekbone. Oh Maker…. Whatever fondness you had for the Man who saved your life had just tipped over a metaphorical cliff edge into a full blown crush. And you hadn’t even seen his face. 

Mando broke away first. Stepping away from you, dropping his arms to his sides. His helmet looking to the floor. 

“We need to land.” 

“Do you want me to fly?” He shook his head, he was about to speak but you cut him off. “Let me fly. I’ll quickly get ready and then you can sort the kid out.” 

Mando’s head tilted to watch you, considering your offer. A low came grumble from the helmet. “Fine. He needs to be fed.” With that he turned and disappeared up the ladder. 

You let your shoulders drop as he disappeared. You felt over exposed and emotional. With a long sigh you stripped off your clothes and stepped into the fresher. A quick, hot shower helped clear your head. Reluctantly you turned the water off, and walked back into the cool hull of the ship. 

You bent down to your bag and pulled out your winter clothes. This next bounty was hiding out on Mando Kreis. Thankfully Mando had made you buy winter clothes when you’d been on Coruscant for a different bounty. You got dressed into your underwear, chucking the towel in the direction of the ‘fresher. 

You were sitting in your underwear in the cot tugging on some thick socks when Mando descended the ladder from the cockpit. He stopped when he saw how little you were wearing. 

“Sorry!” Came the modulated voice. 

“It's fine...er.. could you turn around please?” Mando turned away from you, and you jumped down out of the cot, turning to grab your thick, fur lined leggings. 

“He should be in the tavern in town.” 

“Okay, is he alone?” You pulled on an undershirt, tucking it into your leggings.

“No. I don’t think he will be.”

“Great. And he’ll definitely be in the tavern?”

“I hope so. I don’t want to trawl this stupid ice planet.” You laughed. Mando hated all extremes of temperatures.

“Neither.” You bent down to lace up your snow boots. You finished getting ready, strapping the knives to your thighs, and walked over to the ladder. Mando turned and watched you. You felt a small flash of warmth as his visor followed your movements across the hull. You smiled at him. 

“Where’s the kid?”

“Asleep. I’ll lock him in the ship.” You nodded and climbed the ladder and opened the door to the cockpit. 

The little green gremlin child of Mando’s was inches from pressing a button on the console when you stepped over the threshold into the cockpit. 

“Don’t touch that! Come here trouble!” The kid froze in place, turning its big eyes around to you. You gathered him into your arms, just as tears started to form. “Oh no baby, it's okay. I’m not angry.” His little mouth quivered so you cuddled him closer, Mando would probably kill you if you made the kid cry. 

Settling the kid back in his chair, you sat in the pilot seat. Maldo Kreis loomed in front of the cockpit window, a formidable icy planet. You tapped in the coordinates to the only big town on the planet, hoping that would be where your bounty is hiding. 

As you sat in the chair, your mind was in a whirl. What had Mando meant by that? It was so soft and affectionate. You tucked your legs up on the chair. 

The keldabe kiss was a sign of affection between couples. You frowned. You weren’t a couple. You wracked your brain for more information on the Mandalorian greeting but couldn’t come up with anything useful. The way Mando touched you left butterflies in your stomach, and a wetness between your thighs. The gentle caress of his leather clad fingers turned you on more than you were willing to admit.

Flicking a few more switches on the dashboard of the ship, you began the descent into the atmosphere. Frost began to appear on the edges of the windows as you descended. Maldo Kreis’ landscape was mountainous and rocky. Snow covered every inch of the planet and there were barely any trees or vegetation. Flying low to the ground you found a place to conceal the ship. Mando liked to land the ship away from towns if he could. It helped with protecting the kid. It was only a small ridge of rocks but it would hide the ship from the harsh winds that whipped around the planet. You lowered the Crest as gently as you could, the old ship groaning and creaking as the landing gear came out. Once down you powered down the engines but kept the heating system running. The kid would freeze otherwise. 

The door to the cockpit opened with a soft hiss, and Mando walked in all decked out in his armour. The kid babbled at him incoherently as Mando scooped him out of his seat. You double checked the ship's security systems, before slipping out of the chair, following the Mandalorian down the ladder. 

Mando was settling the kid in the cot when you jumped off the ladder, swaddling him in blankets.

You watched him take care of the child, smiling softly at how gentle Mando was with him. “I’ve left the heating on.” 

“Thank you.” Mando didn’t turn to look around at you, but his voice was affectionate. You blushed. You could hear the kid babbling away to Mando, and low mumbles of Mando talking back. You felt your heart squeeze watching them both. 

Turning to the weapons cupboard, you slipped on your knife belt, and sheathed your knives into the holders. Mando soon appeared by your side, as you contemplated taking a blaster, staring into his extensive collections of weapons. 

“Here. Take this one.” He reached in and passed you a small blaster. You took it carefully, double checking the safety, before tucking it into the waistband of your leggings. 

You walked back to your bag on the floor, pulling out your warm fur lined coat. Tying your hair up in a ponytail, you shrugged the coat on, the soft fur tickling the back of your neck. “Are you ready?” You asked Mando, as you pulled on some gloves. He nodded. 

The kid sat in the cot, covered in warm blankets. You smiled at him, both placing a soft kiss on the top of his head. “Be good, little one!” He smiled up at you, little hands making grabbing motions at you. You gave him your finger to hold, as Mando said goodbye. You chuckled at the image, two fearsome bounty hunters saying cute goodbyes to the big eared green creature who you both adored. 

Mando clicked a button on his vambrace, and the cot door slid shut with a click. “Let’s go.” He walked towards the ramp, clicking another button to lower it. Freezing cold air rushed into the hull, so you pulled the hood of your jacket up over your head, fastening a button to keep it in place. 

Mando strode off the ramp, with you scurrying behind him. He still didn’t quite realise that you had to walk two steps for every one of his. Stepping off the ship, you were blinded by the bright white light of the snow. You held your hand up to your face to shield your eyes. You could only see white snow for miles. 

The ramp creaked and groaned behind you as it closed, a lot louder than normal in the dead quiet of the snow. The wind was blowing into your face, the cold making your eyes sting and water. 

“Town is ½ a mile that way.” You gestured to the right a bit. “I saw it as I landed.” Mando started to walk in that direction. You walked behind him, using his body to shield you from the wind. The untouched snow crunched beneath your feet. You smiled remembering a memory of snow fights with your dad as a kid.

Bending down quickly you gathered a handful of snow into one gloved hand, compacting it into a ball with the other. You glanced up. Mando was still walking ahead of you, unaware of your plans. 

Splat!

The snowball hit the Mandalorian square in the back. You giggled as he turned to face you, the dark gaze of the visor studying you. “Did you… just throw a snowball at me?” 

You froze. Oh no. Mando was so serious, you didn’t know if he’d even understand what a snowball fight is. You hang your head, and mumble a yes. 

Because you’d hung your head, you didn’t see him lean down and grab a handful of snow, until it hit you square in the chest. The force of his throw, making you stumble. 

“Ooof…. hey!” You laughed. You reached down and grabbed another handful, lobbing it back at his head. It hit his shoulder. 

“Missed.” Came the low rumble of his voice, and it sounded like he was laughing. “Come on, lets keep going.” He turned and walked on. You jumped after him, jogging slightly to catch up. 

“I didn’t know Mandalorians did snowball fights.” 

“Good target practice.” You grinned at him, happy that he indulged your little game. 

The town soon loomed into view. Mando paused, taking out the bounty puck. A faint red light was flashing, and the ever familiar beeping could be heard. “Hopefully he’s still here.” 

“There’s nothing for miles.” You add, trying to remember the landscape around the town. “The east side of the town has a port, and then it's just mountain ridges and flat tundra for miles and miles.” 

The town walls are dark and crumbling, no guards are at the outpost, so you both saunter into the main square. There’s not much in town, it's small and half abandoned after being favoured by smugglers. The smell of smoke is heavy in the air, and you could see fires flickering in the windows of some of the houses. The streets were covered in a grey/blown slush from people walking through to the only tavern in town. Mando checked the bounty puck, it was blinking softly. So he’s here somewhere. 

Mando paused a little way down the street. “I need you to go in first. Scout the area, and let me know.” He handed you the earpiece comms link. You slipped it on. “Can you hear me?” 

His voice sounded in your ear, deep and rich. You felt a flash of warmth pool in your stomach. Oh maker…. You nodded your head, trying to clear your head. You’ve used the comms link a lot, and each time you have the same reaction to his voice. “Good. Go on in, I’ll wait here.” 

You slip inside the tavern, the stark contrast of temperature brings a small flush to your cheeks. You tip your hood back, just enough so you can see, but not enough to take it off and expose the comms. The bar of the tavern was softly lit by candles, and a big hearth fire blazed in the centre. Pots of chowder bubbled away as they hung over the fire, a Mythrol cook was standing close by, wearing an apron smeared with food. 

You walked over to the bar, assessing the rest of the tavern. Groups of people sat huddled around tables. A pair of Dyplotid’s glanced in your direction as you came in but they went back to their cards. The barkeeper smiled as you walked in. 

“Ah...hello. What can I get you?” His voice was gravelly, his skin old and weathered. 

“Just a mintea. It’s cold.” He let out a chuckle.

“First time here?”

“Hmm, yes. Didn’t realise it’d be this cold.” You pulled out a barstool and settled in, resting your arms on the table. The barkeeper placed a mug of mintea down in front of you. You wrap your hands around it, the heat permeating through the gloves. 

“What brings you here?” 

“I needed to rest. I’ve been flying for a while. I’m on my way back to Coruscant.” The lie slipped easily off your tongue. It was nice to be off the ship. Maldo Kreis was in the outer rim, and the journey to here had been long. Longer than you had anticipated. Especially as Mando’s ship doesn’t do anything above hyperdrive, which although fast is still slow in comparison to your old ship. 

He nodded and then turned to chat to one of the other patrons who had come up to the bar. You took another glance around the room. You couldn’t see anyone who resembled the bounty. 

The comms link crackled in your ear, and Mando’s soft voice filled your head. “Are you going to sit at the bar all day while I freeze out here?” You can hear the amusement in his voice. You glanced out to your right to the window, you could see him leaning against the wall outside. His pauldrons and helmet were covered in a light dusting of snow. You smirked. 

You tap your chest twice, just above your heart. It was a signal you and Mando had come up with to signify that an area was safe without having to use words. Mando pushed himself off the wall and walked into the tavern. 

More people looked up when he walked in. Larger than life, and in a full suit of armour, he commanded attention. He glanced over at you before walking to a booth at the back of the room. The bartender’s eyes followed him as he moved. 

“A mandalorian.” He said, not to anyone in particular. Then he glanced at you. “A friend of yours?” You shrugged, not wanting to give anything away. He laughed, a deep throaty laugh. 

You smiled at him, relaxing a bit now Mando was inside. Mando would contact you if he needed you. “How long have you been here?” You took a sip of your mintea, the warmth of the hot liquid spreading in your body. 

“All my life. Never left.” You raised your eyebrows, you couldn’t imagine a life stuck on one planet. “Haha, not everyone gets to travel the galaxy girl.” 

“Some people need to hold down the fort at home.” He nodded at that. 

“Exactly. Who will take care of all the lonely, single travellers if I don’t?” His voice was soft, and he looked you up and down. You met his eyes, they were dark and glittering under hooded eyelids. 

You took another sip of your drink. When he spoke again, his voice was different. It was harsher than before. “So I’ll ask again, what really brings you out here?”

“I told you. A rest stop on my way back home.” 

“Nothing to do with that Mandalorian over there?” He lifted his chin, gesturing to the back of the tavern, to the secluded corner Mando had placed himself in. 

You shook your head instead of answering. He raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, I don’t believe you. He hasn’t stopped staring in this direction since he entered.” 

You feel a blush creep into your cheeks, just as a knot of anxiety coils in your stomach. Something is wrong. You smile at the barkeeper. “Can’t blame him for staring.” 

You place the mug back on the table, and move one of your hands down to your leg. You tapped your knee twice with your thumb. Another little signal to Mando. You then lift your hand and fish into your pockets for some credits. “Thanks for the drink.” You chuck them down and start to slide off the stool. 

The barkeeper keeps his eyes on you. You notice the Dyplotids’ raising out of their chairs. Shit. Shit. Shit. It's a trap. You curse internally for letting yourself be fooled. 

You remain calm, tugging your hood up over your head, pretending to be getting ready to leave. You turn to flash a smile at the barkeeper. He watches you, eyes flickering to you and then the Dyplotid’s behind you. 

“They’re following you.” Came the low voice of Mando in your ear again. You make no movement to acknowledge his voice as you walk out onto the street. “There’s an alley to your left. I’ll follow in a minute.” 

You spot the alley. It’s darker than the Main Street but not enough to hide in. Dammit. You slip into it regardless, hearing footsteps crunching on the snow slush behind you. You keep walking. Where is Mando? The alley comes to an abrupt end with the outer wall of the town looming above you. You stop and turn.

You were met with the faces of the Dyplotids. Four eyes each stare down at you, dark and angry. 

“Who are you?” One hisses. 

“A nobody.” You reply, praying that Mando appears soon. 

“Some nobody being friends with a Mandalorian.” The other speaks. 

“What do you want?” You glare back at them. If you acted quickly you’d probably be able to take them. Your fingers twitch, brushing the hilt of your knives. 

Before they could answer, two blaster shots rang out. The Dyplotids fell forward, two giant burning holes in their backs. You glance up to the top of the alley. Mando was standing there, lowering his blaster.

“Let’s go. He’s not here.” His voice came through the comms link. You walked over to him, while he waited for you. His visor fixed on you. He held out the puck. The light was off and it was silent. 

“Thank you for savingme.” You looked up into the dark visor. 

“You’re welcome.” You could hear the modulated voice, and the deep rumble of his real voice in your ears. You stared at him, transfixed at his voice. He let out a small snort. Arrogant dick was probably smirking under the mask. You shook your head, trying to shake yourself out of your delusions. 

“What now?” You sidestepped him and started to walk down the street. Mando fell into step beside you. 

“We need intel on where he could be. I am not traipsing the whole planet.” His voice was only coming through the comms link. Practically you knew it was to help maintain a low profile, but subconsciously you hoped he never stopped, you could listen to him all day. 

“There is a port with landspeeders for hire?” 

“Too expensive.” 

“Well it's either that or walk.”

“He won't be far from the town. There’s nothing for miles.”

“That’s what you think. There might be something out there and we won't find it on foot.” Mando was often too stubborn. “I say we go to the port. Leave it to me.”

Mando gazed down at you, you folded your arms across your chest. You could be stubborn too, and you had a plan. 

“Fine. But you pay.”

“Fine.” You looked around for a sign to the port. 

“It's left.” 

“I know.” You huffed. 

The walk to the port was short. You didn’t see any other townsfolk, which was odd considering the altercation back at the tavern. Maybe people are scared? 

A ferryman stood next to a couple of old landspeeders. You could hear Mando mumbling about a waste of money in your ear. You ignored him.

The ferryman looked up. “What can I do yous for?” He grunted. 

“I’d like to hire a landspeeder.”

“Yeah. And where are you going with it?”

“I fail to see how that’s your business?” You questioned back. 

“Hurrmph.” Came the grunted reply. “My ‘speeders, my business.” 

“You can’t argue with that logic.” Mando’s voice rang in your ear. You wanted to elbow him, but thought better of it. You looked back at the ferryman, he was another Mythrol. His blue skin barely visible through his hood. 

“I need to see Salvius.” Might as well go big or go home. 

“What if he don’t wanna see you?”

“He’s expecting us.” You swallowed. You felt Mando stiffen beside you. 

“Oh is he? What does he want from you?” 

“Now that is none of your business.” You quip back dryly. You could feel that coil of anxiety growing in your stomach. What if he’s bluffing and just takes you into the middle of nowhere?

“It's gonna cost ya.” Of course. 

“Name your price.” Mando huffed next to you. 

“1000 credits.” You balk at the price. 

“No. 550 and that’s it.” Panic tinged your voice. Shit. 

“750. Or no landspeeder.”

You caught Mando’s hand moving to his blaster holstered on his hip. Please don’t.   
“I suggest you take what the lady offers.” Came the soft hiss from the helmet. The Mythrol stared at the Mandalorian. 

“Or what?” Mando didn’t give him the courtesy of an answer before he blew a hole in the centre of his chest with the blaster. You jumped with the loudness of the bang. 

“FUCK MANDO!” You cried as the ferrymans’ body crumpled to a heap on the floor. 

“I didn’t trust him.”

“No shit!” Your heart was pounding. Mando whipped round to glare at you. 

“Your plan was stupid.” A small twinge of anger hit your chest. 

“At least I had a plan.” You spat back. 

Mando stared at you for another second before bending down to grab the landspeeder keys from the Mythrols’ belt. He jumped into the closest one, starting the engine. You clambered in after him. He placed the puck on the dashboard, using it as a sort of navigator. 

Mando drives fast. Probably too fast. The cold air whooshed around the vehicle, chilling the exposed parts of your face. You hunker down in the seat. Mando’s helmet dipped towards you, before turning back to face the land ahead. His hands pushed a few buttons on the landspeeders dashboard and hot air was suddenly blowing into your face. The small gesture was sweet, and your heart skipped a beat. 

“I forget you feel the cold more than me.” His voice was sympathetic. 

“Thanks.” You were going to make a comment about how you don’t have a beskar'gam, or iron skin, to protect you but you left it. 

The landspeeder sped over the flat snow, mountains rising up on your left. You were travelling further and further away from the ship. A small pang of guilt tugged your heart at the kid being all alone.

A red light caught your eye. The puck was flashing.. “Stop!” You grabbed Mando’s sleeve. 

“What?” He slowed the landspeeder. 

“The puck!” You scanned the area. A small glint of light caught your eye. “There up on the ridge.” 

Mando turned to look. You knew he was scanning the area through his visor. 

“Do you see anything?”

He grunted in acknowledgment. “There’s a group of people.” You strained to see what he was seeing, but your eyes couldn’t make out anything against the snow.

“Do you think they’ve seen us?”

“Definitely.” Mando started the landspeeder again. “They have the higher ground. We can’t get to them until nightfall.” You glanced up at the sky, the clouds were so thick you couldn’t make out the sun. 

Mando zoomed over towards an outcrop of rocks and hid the speeder behind it. He kept the engine running. “We’ll have to wait here.” 

“We’ll stick out like sore thumbs.” You gestured to your dark snow clothes, and his dark grey beskar. 

“That's why we’re waiting. We’ll be more disguised in the snow at night.” 

“What about heat sensing?”

“I have a plan.” You snorted. Great. You settled back into the seat, tucking your knees up. Might as well rest for a bit. 

When you woke up your face was pressed against Mandos' right pauldron. You blinked in the dark. There was some sort of pressure on your leg, on the inside of your knee. You glance down, Mando’s leather clad hand resting there. It was so casual, the way it was draped over your knee, giving you better access to his arm to sleep on. Mando felt you stir.

“Are you awake?” He squeezed your knee, so softly that you weren’t even sure it happened. 

You hummed a response, lifting your head from his shoulder. The landscape was dark around you, barely any light from the moons filtered through the clouds. Mando lifted his hand, making it easier for you to sit up. “They’re still up on the ridge.” You glanced up, you could make out a soft glow of orange. “They lit a fire.” Mando confirmed your thoughts. 

“How many?”

“12-16.”

You let out a small breath. “Think it's Salvius?” 

Mando shrugged. “Potentially.” 

“What’s the plan?”

The plan, as it turned out, was for you to roll in snow to reduce your heat flare. Mando apparently didn’t because ‘his armour doesn’t get warm, or show up on infrared.’ You didn’t quite believe him but felt like starting an argument about it was worthless. The second phase of the plan, after Mando shoved snow down the back of your top a little too zealously, was to sneak up to the ridge and scout out the people. 

You were shivering as Mando led the way towards the ridge through the snow. You stuck close to his back, head down, following his fresh footprints in the snow.   
As you walked you let your mind wander. Something has changed between the pair of you. Sure Mando has touched you before, he’s helped with injuries or fastening up jackets but the past few touches felt different. They felt softer, kinder, more personal than the other times he’s touched you. And the keldabe kiss? What does that mean? 

You were so lost in thought you didn’t see Mando stop, and you collided into his back.

“Watch where you're going.” He mumbled. 

You looked around. The landscape was dark and grey, the sky was also dark and grey, and the man you were following was dressed in dark grey colours. You could just about see your feet. Mando carried on walking. The terrain beneath your feet got steeper, and more icy. You must be nearing the top of the ridge. Mando held his arm out, you stopped. His visor was fixated on the campfire.

“Somethings wrong.” He murmured. 

“What?” 

“There’s more than I thought.” 

You glanced across at the campfire. The hike up the ridge had gotten you pretty much level with the campfire, although you were about 200m to the right of it. You couldn’t make out individual shapes, just a dull orange glow. 

“The fire is low.” Mando nodded next to you. 

“They have lots of boxes. A land cruiser as well.” He glanced around, and then at the puck strapped to his chest. The red light was blinking. “This will be them.” 

You looked around you, trying to make out surroundings. You and Mando were on a rocky ridge that jutted out from the main ridge line. A steep cliff fell away in front of you, the bottom of it cloaked in darkness. The campfire sat on another ledge. To get there you’d have to climb. 

“Is it worth it?” You were only asking due to the landscape. Neither of you had an advantage here. If anything it was a foolish mission. 

“Yes.” The response was abrupt. 

A noise to your left, caused your heart to race. You froze as Mando whipped his head around. A voice sounded in your ear. “They’re behind us.” No shit dipstick. 

“Have they seen us?” Your voice was barely a whisper. 

Mando didn’t get a chance to respond before a blaster shot rang out, narrowly missing your head. Yes they have then. Mando pulled you close to him. “Stay close.” 

You pulled the blaster out of your waistband, quickly clicking the safety off. You couldn’t see anything. The clouds were thinning slightly but they were still covering the moon. 

Another blaster shot rang out, you hid behind Mando. You felt one of his hands wrap around and rest on your hip, keeping you close. He lifted his blaster up and fired off into the dark. 

You heard a few cries as he shot a few people. Mando staggered backwards as a shot hit his breastplate. He let out a low groan at the force. Blaster shots were ringing out all around you. You fired aimlessly into the dark, praying that you hit someone. 

You glanced up at the sky again, a gap was appearing in the clouds, faint moonlight filtering through. You looked around Mando, 12 people stood blasters firing at the pair of you. You aimed and got two of them, they fell down with a thump. A blaster shot whistled past your head, and you ducked back behind Mando. 

The clouds parted and the moonlight shone down onto the ground. You aimed your blaster again, hitting 3 more people in the chest. 

You fired your blaster again, but before you could pull the trigger, searing pain ignited on your leg. You looked down. A shot had just skimmed your thigh leaving a burning hole in your leggings and melting the leather of your knife holder. Your flesh was burnt and blistered. The pain took your breath away, and you cried out. Gritting your teeth you fired back in the direction of the shot, before falling to the ground groaning. The moon disappeared again, plunging you back into darkness. 

Mando ran over to you, shielding you with his body again as you quickly packed snow onto the wound, trying to numb the pain. The blaster shots were becoming less and less frequent, until they stopped altogether. 

Mando spun round and dropped to his knees. “Are you okay?” 

“My leg….” you groaned. You didn’t want to be a baby but, stars, it hurts. Mando’s hands fluttered carefully over the wound, unfastening your knife holder and peeling your burnt leggings away. You hissed in pain. 

“Sorry. I have to get a better look.” You clenched your hands into a fist, digging your nails into the palm of your hand. Mando placed a hand on your knee, to stop you twitching whilst he got a better look. “It doesn’t look deep. We need to…” 

Before Mando could finish his sentence another shot rang out, hitting him square in the back. He fell forward onto you with the force of the blow, crushing your leg under his armour. You cried out in pain. Mando pushed himself off, whipping around, blaster drawn and firing behind him. 

Moonlight lit the ridge up, illuminating the bodies of the attackers. Blaster shots rang out, the noise echoing off the rocks. You turned over onto all fours, pain stabbing through you. Breathing deeply you stood up on shaky legs, grabbing your knife from the floor. This time the assailants pressed closer, moving towards you and Mando. 

Once up you pulled out your other knife. Waves of pain throbbed through your leg. But before you could adjust your balance, a blaster came crashing down into the side of your shoulder, knocking you back to the floor. You rolled with the movement, before springing up as fast as you could. You hit out with one of your knives at your attack, managing to cut his shoulder. He hissed, and pulled out a dagger, lunging at you. You sidestepped his movement, and he fell slightly, off balanced. You took the opportunity to jump on top of him, knife sinking into the side of his neck. Easy. He tried to grab you as you both fell back into the snow, but his strength quickly faded. Ripping the knife out you turned, just as another man lurched towards you. 

You rolled out of his way, narrowly avoiding his weapon. Jumping up again you stand ready to attack. He turns and jabs out at you with a knife. You dodge it, before diving in to stab at his exposed chest. Your knife glances off his rib cage, leaving a small cut through his clothes. A hand grabs your wrist as you pull back, pulling you to him. He twists one of your arms behind your back, the muscles in your shoulder screaming at the angle. You kick upwards with your boot, colliding your heel with his balls. He bends over, loosening his grip just enough for you to wriggle out. He tries to pull you back but you stab him in the arm, just enough for him to release his grip entirely. His eyes shine with anger as he glares at you, before running towards you, knife out. You duck to the side and swipe his legs out from under him. He falls into a heap, and you leap on top of him, yanking his head up. You slit his throat. You feel him shudder beneath you as he bleeds out. You stand up, leg shaking with pain. 

Your victory is short lived. Turning around you’re met with three faces. They stalk towards you, and you scurry backwards. One goes in for a jab and you block and catch his chest with the edge of your knife, just as another dives at you. You step backwards.

You hadn’t realised how far you’d gotten to the edge of the cliff. As you step backwards you feel ice and rock crumbling away from beneath your feet. You glance back at the men inching towards you, and then towards Mando who was fighting off 4 men. You don’t see until it's too late. One man steps forward and shoves you. With nothing to catch your fall you slip. You cry out. You can hear Mando screaming your name.

You’re weightless as you fall through the air. You hit the ground with force, for a split second all you can feel is pain, and then everything is silent and dark.   
He thought about the day's events. The argument, the keldabe kiss, the tavern and when you’d fallen asleep on his shoulder. Mando couldn’t figure out when you’d become so important, but you had.


	3. Rescue Me

The first thing you saw when you opened your eyes were two big eyeballs staring back at you. You recoiled in surprise, pain shooting through your body. 

“Ahhhrghh.” You let out a cry. The little creature in front of you coo’d softly. You blinked a few times, trying to reorganise your thoughts. You didn’t have much time to think, before a movement by your feet caught your attention. Cold air swirled around you as you were met with the face of a very scary looking helmet. You screamed again. 

“Hey! Hey! It's okay!” The man grabbed your legs, trying to get you to stop moving. You stopped for a second, desperately trying to understand what was going on. All you could feel is pain. “You need to stop moving.” His voice was soothing, and you relaxed a bit. “Do you know where you are?” 

You tried to prop yourself up on your elbows, pain wracking your body. You fell back with a cry. You shook your head. You didn’t know, and you were scared. 

“Do you know how I am?” You shook your head again, and the man hung his helmeted head. You heard him let out an exhale, and the small creature next to you, let out a small cry. 

“I’m sorry…” you started to say before the man shushed you. Panic was snaking its way up your spine. You were injured, in pain, and somewhere you didn’t know. 

“No it's okay. You had a fall, I rescued you.” His voice was gentle, and he rubbed small circles with his thumb over your knee. 

“Oh… thank you.” You weren’t sure what else to say. The gentle caress of his thumb was nice, but you still felt on edge. 

“Do you know who you are?” You nodded and told him your name. He hummed in agreement. “And what is the last thing you remember?” 

You thought back, digging around in your memory. It all seemed really hazy, like you were watching a dream of someone else’s life. You saw the helmet of the man in front of you in the streets on Canto Bight, a blaster shot and you killed someone, and then fire. You swallowed, tears pricking your eyes when you recalled the memory of your ship burning to the ground. 

“I...ugh….I remember my ship….burning.” Your voice was thick, and you were trying really hard not to cry. “I remember you. But I don’t remember you?” The man nodded, his thumb stopped stroking circles and instead he gave your knee a soft squeeze.

“Anything else?” You sat for a moment, lost in thought. You sort of remember being cold, and lots of snow. 

“Ice. And being cold.” The man just nodded. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Really sore.” Your whole body ached, every inch of it was stiff and sore. You felt like one solid bruise. Your rib cage was in the most pain, and so was one of your legs. You shifted the blanket to look. A nasty red welt streaked across your thigh. You winced at the sight of it. The skin was blistered and weeping. “What happened?”

“A blaster shot.” 

“How?” You don’t understand. 

“It’s a long story.” The visor never left your face, and you felt small under its unfaltering stare. “You’re safe now.”

You didn’t say anything. Your brain was desperately trying to fit together all the pieces. You felt a tear run down your face. The little green creature gurgled at you and held out his tiny hands. He crawled towards you and you flinched away, not understanding. He let out a soft cry and tears welled up in his eyes. The man reached in to pick him up. The man turned back to you. “Get some rest, I’ll wake you when we land.” 

You nodded, and turned your eyes back to the ceiling. Your body was in so much pain. Tears rolled down your cheeks, splashing onto the bed sheet beneath you. You let out a shaky breath and squeezed your eyes shut, willing yourself back to sleep to avoid the pain. 

When you woke you were not where you fell asleep. The walls around you were stone, and the bed beneath you was a lot comfier than the one you had fallen asleep in. The room was bathed in the soft, flickering light from a fire. You pushed yourself up onto your elbows. You braced yourself, expecting pain but there was none. Huh. 

You sit up carefully, and look around the room. It was small, with low ceilings. Other than the fire you couldn’t see any other source of light. It's very quiet. Other than the fire crackling, you can’t hear anything else. A small tendril of fear begins to wind its way into your mind. You’re alone, and somewhere you don’t know. 

You slump back against the pillows and burrow back down into the warm furs. You squeeze your eyes shut and try to remember what happened. You can’t remember much other than talking to...Mando. 

Your eyes spring open, and you call out for him. Your voice is rough from lack of use, and your throat is dry. Still your croaky voice carries out around the room. The door on the wall opposite you creaks open, and an unfamiliar woman appears, head peering into the room. 

“Oh you’re awake!”

“Where's Mando?” The woman didn’t respond as she entered the room and walked over to you. She tugged the fur off your body and you glanced down. You weren’t wearing anything, save for some panties. You tried to protest and pull the covers back over you, but her strong hand pushed you back down onto the bed. 

“Stop. I need to check your leg.” Her voice was gruff, but gentle. She placed her hand on your leg, above a long red scar. “It's healing well. Do you want to see him?” 

You assumed ‘him’ meant Mando so you nodded. The lady pulled the covers back over you and walked out of the room, the door creaking shut behind her. You tugged the cover away again to look at your leg yourself. The scar was long and jagged, the skin still puffy from healing. You touched it gently, waiting for pain but none came. You flicked the covers back over you and settled back into the bed. 

A knock sounded on the door, and you turned to see the familiar silver grey armor enter the room. A small cry sounded from his arms, and you could see the kid reaching out towards you. You smiled softly at the pair of them. 

The man made no movement to come further inside the door. “You can come in.” You patted the bed next to you, he walked in, a huge behemoth of a man in the small room. He stopped next to your bed. 

“Cyar’ika.” The word was soft and breathy, even through the helmet. You gaze up at him. He ducked down to kneel on the floor next to the bed. 

“Hi.” Your voice is quiet, and you watch his hand come up to stroke your face. 

“I thought I lost you.” You lean into his hand, the rough leather pressed against your cheek. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Sort of? It's all very blurry though. ” You close your eyes, desperately trying to remember the night's events. When you opened them again, Mando was still watching you. “Where are we?” 

“Nevarro.” 

“Where?” 

“Not important. You’re safe.” You nod. The kid makes an impatient whine at being ignored for the past few moments. You open your arms to him, and Mando lets him crawl over you for a cuddle. You nuzzle his furry head, and clutch him to your chest. 

“Hey little one.” The kid purred happily in your arms. 

Mando brushes the hair from your face. “ How are you feeling?” 

“A lot better than I thought I would.” 

Mando hums in approval, his hand still cradling the side of your head. You lean into his palm, closing your eyes. He caresses your cheek with his thumb. When you opened your eyes his visor was still fixed intently on your face.

“Did you catch him?” Mando shook his head. “Shit”

“He wasn’t part of the group that attacked. He must have fled during the ambush.” 

“Do you know where he is?”

Mando didn’t get to answer as the woman reappeared carrying a steaming bowl of stew. She placed it carefully on the bedside table next to you, glancing over to Mando and the small green creature curled up on your chest. All she said was, ‘Eat.” And then she left again. 

The kid's nose started twitching as he smelt the food, stirring him out of his nap. His big eyes landed on the bowl before staring up at you expectantly. Mando reached out to grab him. ‘Come here you little womp-rat. It's not for you.” You chuckled as he plucked him off your chest. You shifted so you were sitting more upright in the bed, before picking up the warm bowl. It smelt delicious, with large chunks of meat floating in a hearty stew. 

Your stomach growled in anticipation, and you started to eat. Mando watched you quietly, holding onto the kid. When you’d eaten as much as you could, you began to shred pieces of the meat up and passed them to the kid who wolfed them down. “Have you not fed him?”

“Of course I fed him.” Came Mandos indignant reply. “He’s just never full.” 

You smile at him. “I was joking.” Mando just dipped his head to watch the kid chew the meat. “What’s our next move?” 

“You’re not doing anything. You need to rest.” 

“I’m fine!”

“You fell off a cliff.”

“And survived!” Your eyes flickered over the visor, trying to distinguish where his eyes could be. “I’m okay.” 

Mando sighed, the noise rippling through the vocoder. You grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I...we nearly lost you. Just rest for a bit okay?” His voice was small through the helmet. 

“But...” Mando stood up, picking the kid up with him.

“No buts. You rest.” His tone was harsh. You stiffened at the contrast in comparison to what he just said. You opened your mouth to argue but he’d already walked out of the room, leaving you on your own again. 

You ended up spending another few days stuck in the bed. The woman introduced herself as Rhea, although she didn’t really say much else to you. She appeared every few hours with food, medicine, or to help you stagger to the bathroom. You didn’t see Mando very much, occasionally he’d pop his head in or leave the kid with you. The last part of your conversation had left a sour note on your relationship and you didn’t understand why. You’d tried to talk to him each time he came in but he didn’t respond. His guard was back up and he barely spoke to you, other than to ask how you were feeling. 

After a couple more days you asked Rhea if you could shower. As up until then, Rhea had just left a basin of water and some washcloths for you to clean yourself with. You’d asked previously but she’d motioned towards your leg as an answer. It had easily been 2 weeks since the accident and your hair felt disgusting. She agreed and came back with a towel and some clean clothes. 

The water was hot as you stepped under the spray. The scar on your leg stung a little bit from the heat but it felt good to be properly clean. You spent a long time standing in the shower, washing and conditioning your hair. When you stepped out your skin was flushed, steam rising from your body in the cool air. Gently drying yourself, you got changed into the clean clothes and padded back to your room. 

You settled back on the bed and Rhea came back in to put more bacta gel on your leg. You watched her work. 

“How did I survive?” She turned her face towards you, her dark eyes fixed on your face.

“Bacta injection.” She chuckled. It was the most she’d ever said to you. “Works wonders.” She smirked before turning away and leaving you in silence. 

It wasn’t long before Mando burst back in the room, dropping the child on the bed. He turned quickly, spinning on his heel. ‘Mando?” He froze, but didn’t turn round. “Where are you going?”

“Business.” And he left. The kid just sat wide eyed, staring at you. 

“Guess it's just you and me.” His ears perked up. “At least you want to see me.” 

Mando had been gone for 2 days. The kid stayed with you, sharing your meals, and snoozing in your arms. You weren’t allowed out of your room, unless to use the bathroom and it was driving you crazy. You didn’t want to upset your host so you never pushed it but maker were you bored. 

You were sitting in bed, imagining what you’d say to Mando on his return when the door crashed open. Instantly you grabbed the kid, as Rhea burst in the room. Her eyes were wild, and she clutched some clothes to her chest. 

“Get dressed. You need to leave.” She thrust the clothes into your hands. 

“What?” You pulled on the trousers, and tugged the jumper over your head. 

“You need to go!” 

“Why?” Rhea’s voice was panicked, and it was scarring the kid. She didn’t say anything as she ushered you out of the room, and down the dark hallway. The stone floor was cold against your feet and it dawned on you that you had no shoes on. 

“Rhea? I need shoes…” she ignored you and carried on marching down the hall. 

She stopped at a heavy wooden door. “You need to run. Get out of the city and as far away as you can.” 

“What why?” Rhea didn’t answer, instead she threw open the door and shoved you out onto the street. You stumbled out, clutching the kid to your chest. You turned to ask her what was happening but the door was already shut. 

You glanced around. It was night, the air was warm and the moons cast a silvery light over the street. You stood for a second, listening. 

Faint blaster fire could be heard, ringing out through the city. Fear crawled its way up your spine. The street around you was empty, but you didn’t recognise where you were. Nevarro always looked so different at night. 

You could hear the blaster fire getting closer. Get out of the city. Rhea’s words echoed around your head and you started to walk down the street, keeping close to the walls. The sharp stones on the ground cut and pinched the soles of your feet. You cursed softly. 

Shouts and screams could be heard ringing out across the city, bouncing off the walls. What’s happening? You began to run, sprinting through the streets, heading to where you thought the edge of town was. Your feet slapped against the ground, and the kid gripped your shirt tightly. Where’s Mando?

The edge of the town was just in front of you when a blaster shot rang out behind you, glancing off the ground next to you. You swore. You sprinted out of the town, onto the lava plains of Nevarro. 

The ground was hot beneath your feet as you ran away from the town. The lava fields cracked and groaned around you as hot magma spilled and erupted out. The kid was crying now, small little wails drifted across the barren land. 

“Shhhh shh it’s okay.” You hushed him, slowing down to a walk. You scanned the area, but it was too dark to see if anyone was following. You swallowed, the coil of fear that had started back with Rhea was now full blown terror at the idea of navigating Nevarro at night. 

You looked skyward, through the haze towards the stars above. You could only see a few, shining against the pitch black sky. Where the fuck is Mando? You carried on walking, feet sore from the hot ground, trying to find shelter. Mando would find you. He could find anyone. 

A screech overhead made your blood run cold. Looking up you could just make out the shape of a huge winged creature circling overhead. A reptavian. You were frozen in place as the creature circled above you. A small whimper from the kid brought you back to your senses and you ran. You knew you wouldn’t be able to outrun it, but a small part of you hoped….prayed… that you’d be able to find shelter. 

Your lungs burned as you ran, each intake of breath stung your dry throat. You couldn’t see the ground in front of you as you stumbled through the lava fields, dodging erupting magma. The kid was clinging onto you, tiny claws digging into your skin. 

The reptavian flew above you, leisurely stalking you as you ran. You knew there was nowhere to hide from it, not on the lava fields. 

You tripped. Slamming into the ground, the kid flying from your grasp. You groaned, rolling onto your hands and knees. You felt around trying to find the kid, you could hear him crying beside you. 

Gusts of wind blew across your face as the reptavian landed, flapping its large wings. It roared towards you, the faint light of the lava illuminating its fangs and beady eyes. You scrambled around trying to find the kid. You couldn’t see him or feel him. You screamed into the dark trying to get him to come closer. The reptavian stalked closer, hissing and screeching at you. You crawled on the floor trying to find the kid. You could hear the reptavians claws scraping against the ground, getting closer. It roared loudly just behind you, and you cower into the ground waiting for the fatal blow but it never came... 

You looked over your shoulder, the reptavian was frozen. A faint blue-grey light rippled around you. Protecting you. You looked for the source of the light and your eyes landed on the kid. His little arms were stretched out, his large eyes squeezed shut. 

A loud bang rang through the air, and the reptavian crumpled on the ground. You could hear the sound of an engine rumbling overhead. You crawled over to the kid, catching him as he fell backwards. A bright light lit the area up and you shielded your eyes against the glare. 

The ship started to land, the noise of the thrusters was deafening. The wind whipped up dust and you curled in on yourself to protect the child. The ship landed with a groan, and you could hear the all too familiar grinding noise of a ramp being lowered. Mando. 

You stood up, and rushed towards the ramp, falling into the arms of Mando as he reached the bottom. 

“Are you okay?” His hands ran over your face and arms, checking you for injuries. 

“The kid….” You croaked out, voice hoarse from running. Mando looked down at the sleeping child in your arms. “...he did something. He stopped the…”

“Yeah I know.” Mando took the kid in his arms, and you followed him up the ramp. Mando placed him in the sling in the cot and turned back to you. “Stay there. I’ll get us in the air and then come back.” 

Mando ran up to the cockpit and you slid down the wall of the hull, dropping heavily onto the floor. You could feel the rumble of the thrusters starting up, and the lurching off the ship as it took off. The lights flickered in the hull as the ship climbed higher through the atmosphere. 

You glanced down at your feet. They were dirty and covered with small cuts and burns. They hurt. You stayed on the floor until you heard Mandos feet on the ladder rungs and you pulled yourself up, standing gingerly on your ruined feet. 

He stepped off the ladder, stopping to press a button on his vambrace. The lights switched off, plunging the hull into darkness. 

“M..Mando?” 

“Can you see me?” Maker you can’t see anything. 

“No…” 

You could hear him walking towards you, you stretched your arm out trying to find him in the dark. “Close your eyes.”

You did. Not that there was much point, you could see exactly the same amount with your eyes shut as you could with them open. “They’re closed.” You whisper into the dark. 

You heard a soft click, and the sound of air escaping coming from just in front of you. You reached out again. “Mando….?” 

He grabbed your hand, pulling you to him, crushing you to his chest. You shivered, the icy beskar pressed to your skin. “I’m right here, cyar’ika.” His voice is different, it’s richer, and the normal robotic tinge from the vocoder is gone. It only takes you a second to realise his helmet is off. 

His hand trails up your arm, over your shoulder and round the back of your neck. He tips your head up, and crashes his lips onto yours. 

You melt into his arms, running your hands up the beskar chest plate and onto the rough cowl of his cape, pulling him closer. You hear the clang of his helmet dropping to the floor as he cups your face in both of his hands. 

You pull back slightly to catch your breath, and Mando bumps his forehead against yours. “I’m sorry.” Mando began, “I should never have left...I just…” 

You kiss him softly, cutting him off. “It’s okay.”

“No it’s not. I nearly lost you again.” He sighs deeply. “I nearly lost both of you.” 

“Mando…”

“Din.”

“What?”

“My name is Din Djarin. Not Mando.” You huff out a laugh. 

“I figured your name wasn’t Mando, you idiot.” 

Din chuckles, and you smile back at him. Not that he can see you in the dark. “One thing, you cannot tell anyone and don’t use it outside of the ship.”

“That’s two things.” 

“Don’t be cheeky.” 

A stabbing pain in your feet brought you back to the present. “M-an...Din my feet…” 

Din drops his hands. “Shit, hang on.” He scoops you up and carries you over to the cot. He carefully lowers you down before turning back to the hull to get his helmet. He flicks the light on and you blink in the bright light.

He came back with a tub of bacta and a washcloth. He cleaned your feet gently, before smothering them in bacta. You hissed and wriggled on the cot. 

“Stings…” you mumble. 

“I know.” He drops the bacta on the ground. 

Once he was finished you flopped back into the cot, and Din passed you a blanket. “I need to set the ship's navigation but I’ll be down in a bit. Try to sleep okay?” 

You just yawn in response. Din squeezes your calf and disappears into the hull, switching the lights off, as his footsteps disappear up the ladder to the cockpit.

You don’t hear him come back down, or pull a crate up to the end of the cot. You don’t see him take off his helmet, his hand tracing patterns on your exposed calf. His eyes study your features, as if he’s trying to memorise them. He curses himself for leaving you and the kid. Din watched you sleep, the steady rise and fall of your chest grounding him to the present. His eyes started to droop, and before he knew it he was asleep, propped up against the wall of the cot. 

At some point during the night you wake up, peering around the dimly lit cot, your eyes come to rest on a figure at the end of the bed. You can’t see much, expect for a few dark brown curls and a sliver of skin. You freeze. Din. He wasn’t wearing a helmet... You shut your eyes again, heart pounding. You know how sacred his creed was to him, you could feel yourself getting more panicked. You didn’t really see anything though...just hair and skin. There was nothing you could do now, you hadn’t meant to look, it was an accident. He’d understand.

You figured you’d tell him when you woke up, but he was gone. A small voice reasoned that you hadn’t really seen that much, and besides it wasn’t worth stressing him out about it. A small seed of guilt taking root in your mind as you buried the image of his curls. You’ll tell him one day.


End file.
